It’s finally here.
After a long nine months, No. 9 Ole Miss is finally set to begin one of its most anticipated seasons at the Music City Kickoff. No. 24 Louisville awaits at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
It’s the only matchup of top 25 teams this weekend, which tracks for the expectations Ole Miss has for itself this season.
With Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy back on offense, Will Echoles, Kam Franklin and Suntarine Perkins on defense, dreams of championships aren’t far-fetched.
And a loss to the Cardinals wouldn’t kill those hopes. But nobody wants to start a season that has this much hype with a loss and Louisville is capable of handing the Rebels a loss. This isn’t your typical cupcake opponent that most of the SEC scheduled to start the season.
So, get ready for a lot of questions to be answered about this Ole Miss team under new head coach Pete Golding.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s season-opening game for the Rebels.
The Opponent: Louisville
In today’s version of college football, you don’t really know what a team is until it actually plays. When 51 new players barely raises an eyebrow, the truth usually shows up about 15 minutes into the opener. Louisville is no different, but here’s what we do know heading into Week One.
Jeff Brohm has the 24th‑ranked Cardinals steady in his fourth season, sitting at 28-12 overall and 2-2 against Top 10 teams, including last year’s 24-21 win at No. 2 Miami. Ranked matchups have been tougher historically, with Louisville 10-16 all-time and most recently falling 31-24 at Notre Dame in 2024.
Offensively, Lincoln Kienholz steps in as the new starter after two seasons as a backup at Ohio State. He’ll lean on Isaac Brown, a preseason All-American who rushed for 884 yards and seven touchdowns last year. Defensively, Clev Lubin returns after leading the team with 8.5 sacks and earning All-ACC honors.
Weather Report
The Rebels and Cardinals won’t be waiting nearly two hours to kickoff Sunday night. The National Weather Service’s forecast for Nashville is hot during the day, but game time temperatures won’t reach the 103 heat index during the day. Fans attending the game can expect the skies to be “mostly clear, with a low around 68. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.”
Ole Miss Uniforms
- Helmet: Navy
- Jersey: Nacy
- Pants: Gray
Week 1️⃣ Unis:
Navy, Navy, Gray.#DripInTheSip pic.twitter.com/gGWz6HXI7L
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 5, 2026
How to Watch: Music City Kickoff
- Who: No. 24 Louisville Cardinals (0-0) vs. No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels (0-0)
- When: 6:30 p.m., Sunday
- Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
- TV: ABC
- Radio: Live Radio
- Stats: Live Stats
- Series History: Ole Miss leads the all-time series 1-0
- Last Meeting: Ole Miss 43, Louisville 24 (2021)
- Last time out, Rebels: n/a
- Last time out, Cardinals: n/a
Student-Athlete Availability Report
No official report has been published, but Golding said at his last press conference that the Rebels were fully healthy and would have full availability for Sunday night’s season opener.
Odds, Spread, Totals
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Spread
- Louisville: +6.5 (-104)
- Ole Miss: -6.5 (-118)
Moneyline
- Louisville: +205
- Ole Miss: -250
Total
- Over: 54.5 (-115)
- Under: 54.5 (-105)
